


Baby, I'd Like to See Your Stars and Stripes

by youngavengerfeels



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Pick-Up Lines, Fluff, M/M, because that's Bucky's life, but mainly fluff, i guess a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:30:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8493496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngavengerfeels/pseuds/youngavengerfeels
Summary: Bucky had a line for any situation, as long as you're willing to overlook how cheesy that are. Also Steve is oblivious to pick up lines





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is called "Does the UN Know You Have Weapons of Ass Destruction" in my drafts.

One of the most difficult things for Bucky during recovery was forming his own wants and opinions. He had spent so long being told what he needed and should want that whenever he formed an opinion his first instinct was to double guess it. He wasn't sure what thoughts were his and which were the ones that Hydra told him to think. The Avengers were patient with him for the most part even when it took him hours to make a decision. They promised him there was no reason to feel bad, but Bucky couldn't help but feel silly. It wasn't like Hydra would have programmed his movie preferences so picking a movie for team bonding shouldn’t cause Bucky to have an identity crisis that took hours of Steve just holding him and whispering reassurances into his ear to fix. 

Steve was the one want that Bucky knew he could be sure of. Bucky wanting Steve predated any of the crap Hydra had put in his head. Sure the kind of want had changed but Bucky wasn't that surprised that he would go from just wanting Steve's friendship to wanting to date him. They had always toed the line between friendship and something more. Before Bucky was prevented from wanting anything other than friendship because of laws against that sort of thing, then the war, and then by Hydra. But now, months of rehabilitation later Bucky was ready for more. He just needed to make sure Steve was on the same page. 

Bucky knew Steve was about as dense as an ox so if he left it up to the blond he would be stuck limbo forever. Nat and Clint were his confidons, the only people he willing admitted his feelings for Steve to, although he was sure his rampant need to get in Steve’s pants was obvious to anyone had seen them together. 

“You really should be telling this to Steve,” Nat said with one eyebrow raised giving Bucky a pointed look while he complained how Steve and him had been eating dinner the other night and all of a sudden Steve stopped talking and just given Bucky a strange look. When Steve had leaned forward Bucky’s breath hitched thinking that this was it, Steve was going in for the kiss. But of course it wasn't that easy, Bucky was just a dork who got spaghetti sauce all over his face and Steve was just wiping it off for him.

“The least he could have done was use his mouth,” Bucky laminated. Nat rolled her eyes.

“You know I think Steve is in the gym right now if you want to man up and tell him that you want to fuck him,” Nat said making Clint cackle. Bucky rolled his eyes. Those two could be so immature. But Nat did have a point. He needed to get off his ass and just go confess to Steve. Well confess was a strong word. Shamelessly flirt was probably a better description what he was about to do. 

“Wish me luck I’m about to go try to sull an American icon,” Bucky said giving his friends a loose salute. 

Steve was running on a treadmill when Bucky walked into the gym. Sam was on the treadmill to Steve’s right because apparently being out runned by Steve got Sam going. He wouldn't mind if Steve wanted to spare later, anything that got a hot and sweaty Steve under him was a-okay in his book. For now Bucky settled with nabbing the treadmill in Steve’s left. 

“Hey Steve, this treadmill isn't the only thing getting my heart rate up,” Bucky said letting his eyes wander up and down Steve’s body with a pointed look. He tried not to cringe at the line that just came out of his mouth. Steve stopped running so suddenly that even with the serum it had to hurt his knees and looked at Bucky with way more concern than was warranted for a bad pick up line. 

“Are you having a panic attack?” Steve asked completely taking a 180 from where Bucky wanted this to go. Maybe it was his own fault for using humor to cope with his trauma and he still did get panic attacks when he trained for too long so it wasn't an unfair assumption on Steve’s part. Steve was doing that little dance where he was bobbing in and out of Bucky’s space like he couldn’t decide if Bucky needed space or to be grounded by touch. 

“I’m fine,” Bucky mumbled face going red. 

“Are you sure? You look flushed,” Steve insisted deciding on invading Bucky’s space but not in the way Bucky wanted right now. 

“I think I just need to lie down,” Bucky said wanting to exit as quick as possible. He could see Sam suppressing laughter behind Steve. It helped his ego a little bit that it was just Steve who was too oblivious to pick up on when he was being flirted with. That hadn’t changed since the 40’s. Bucky made a tactical retreat to the floor of the tower he shared with Steve. 

Bucky’s new plan was to confess his feelings on Steve’s birthday. Tony had insisted on throwing a huge party because he knew Steve would hate it. Stark Tower had way more ballrooms than anyone usually knew what to do with but now they looked like a bald eagle took a patriotic shit on all of them. Tony must have invited all of New York because the Tower had to be breaking some fire code but Bucky would not be surprised if Tony had paid off the fire marshals for the party. 

Steve had to be miserable in a party like this. It was perfect. Bucky would be Steve’s knight in shining armor ready to rescue him from the party. From there he would confess his feelings to Steve which would hopefully lead to them making out. Overall it would be a pretty great Fourth of July for everyone involved.

Now all Bucky needed to do was actually  _ find  _ Steve. Even when Steve was small he never had a problem sticking out in a crowd when he wanted to, the problem was he normally wanted to blend in because of some low self esteem problem that Bucky desperately wanted to help him fix. Now as Captain America even more than ever Steve wanted to blend in. With the size of the crowd he was doing a damn good job of blending in because Bucky could not find Steve for the life of him. He was goddamn Winter Soldier and he couldn't find Captain America at a party. Nat would laugh at him for this. 

For once Bucky was actually happy the public was still afraid of him despite all the PR Pepper was doing for him because no one tried to stop and talk to him while he prowled the party. Most people jumped to get out of his way as he passed. Finally he spots the broad shoulders and blond hair that literally are the stuff of his wet dreams. Steve was talking to what looked like a veteran. Bucky took a moment to compose himself before putting on that old 1940s self confidence that he kept around for times like this. He slinked up to Steve pressing into Steve’s back to whisper into his ear.

“You know you remind me of the constitution because you're a national treasure,” Bucky said in what he hoped was a seductive voice. Steve snorted into his drink and shoulders shook with laughter which was not what Bucky was hoping for. Apparently Bucky wasn’t as quiet as he hoped because even the veteran Steve had been talking to was cracking a smile. 

“You're the seventh person who's said that to me since Tony’s toast,” Steve said after he stopped laughing. “I think your delivery is the best. Makes it sound like pick up line instead of patronizing bullshit. Sorry ma’am” Steve said tilting his head toward the veteran in apology who just smiled and rolled her eyes. Steve knows she’s probably heard a whole hell of a lot worse but Steve’s ma didn't raise him in a barn. Bucky couldn't focus on how adorable that made Steve though because Tony Stark stole his goddamn pick up line.

“Well we all know he was probably trying to flirt with you so just calling it like it is,” Bucky said his brain stalling. It seemed to do the trick because Steve and the veteran were laughing again. Making fun of Tony was always a safe conversation topic as far as the Avengers were concerned. 

“I can’t believe he called your ass a weapon of mass destruction,” the veteran said. Bucky cursed in his head. Some how Tony had managed to not only steal his original pick-up line but his back up as well. 

“Maybe he should take some lessons from you Buck,” Steve said with an amused look. Like hell he was gonna tutor Stark on how to flirt with Steve. He was in half a mind to go kick the billionaire's ass for trying in the first place. Steve would probably just laugh since pretty much any party Steve attended ended in some sort of a fight. 

The rest of the party did not go as Bucky had planned it. He did manage to sneak away with Steve and a whole of of Asgardian mead but he ended up going to bed alone which kind of sucked.

Bucky was sulking after the birthday incident. There wasn’t really another word for it. He was avoiding Steve as much as possible and he knew Steve was noticing it. WHenever Steve would come into a room and spot Bucky his face would light only to drop again when Bucky practically ran out of the room. 

“He looks like someone drowned his puppy, Bucky. You need to fix this,” Nat said managing to look deadly while eating Doritos. Bucky groaned sinking into the couch in Nat’s living room. 

“I will, I just need to regroup,” Bucky said more to himself than anyone else. 

“What you need is to get some dick, some red, white and blue dick,” Clint said with a snicker. Bucky punched Clint in the arm with his metal fist. They sat in relative silence for a moment, the only sound Nat crunching her chips. 

“He has a point though. You do seem to have a very serious case of blue balls,” Nat said like the traitor she is. 

“At this point I'm pretty sure your balls don't come in any color other than blue,” Clint said high fiving Nat. It was unbelievable the kind of friends he had to put up with. He loved them so much. 

“I'm going to take Steve to the Met because Steve’s super into that art surf and I want to show I'm interested in his passions. Then I'll take him to this romantic restraint, the one Pepper was complaining that Tony never took her to. It will be the perfect date,” Bucky explained. Nat was giving him an amused look. 

He could tell she thought he was an idiot but this wouldn’t be the first time and wouldn’t be the last time she thought that. At this point he was desperate to get in Steve’s pants. Metaphorically speaking, he knew that he had deep suited issues that needed to be worked out before he was ready for that kind of intimate relationship. He really just wants to be able to make out with Steve whenever at this point. 

“So you're going to take Steve in a date without actually telling him it's a date?” 

“No, I'll tell him it was a date afterward,” Bucky clarified as if his plan was perfectly normal. Clint thankfully changed the topic after that complaining about the new team at SHIELD he was mentoring and their incompetence. 

Bucky steeled himself the next day and went looking for Steve. It wasn’t hard. Whenever Bucky avoided him, Steve did this forced scheduled that kept him from sulking. When Bucky got the nervous to actually go ask Steve out, Steve had just finished his post workout shower which may have been a tactical error on Bucky’s part because he couldn’t focus on anything other than the little beads of water running down Steve’s face from his hair. 

“Hey Bucky,” Steve said nervously. Bucky knew that whenever he got withdrawn Steve tended to blame himself, assuming he had pushed Bucky too far too fast. 

“Sorry I’ve been avoiding you. I was thinking to make it up to you I might take you to the Met and dinner,” Bucky said. Steve’s eyes widened and mouth formed a little ‘o’ in surprise. Bucky didn’t willing mingle with the public so this was a little out of character for him. He watched Steve’s face go from surprised to excited to schooled back to a neutral expression. 

“Are you sure?  We don’t have do that if you aren’t feeling up to it,” Steve said. 

“I want to do it,” Bucky said. He was rewarded with one of Steve’s blinding smiles and momentary Bucky wondered what he would have to do to make the smile a permanent fixture before the little voice in his head said,  _ rewind time and undo everything Hydra did.  _ He shushed the voice because at this moment things were good and he wasn’t going to be the one to ruin it for once. 

Bucky loved listening to Steve talk. On missions his voice commanded respect and attention. Around the Tower his voice was much more quiet but still a voice to be heard. Now while Steve was rambling on about the composition of the pieces they were looking at Bucky thought he found his favorite voice for Steve. Listening to Steve talk about art, something he had always loved, was a treat that they weren't always afforded. Even now in the 21st century Steve didn’t get the chance to work in his art as much as Bucky would have liked. Steve had confessed to him one night after a long mission that he wanted to get his GED so he could apply for art school. Bucky had been prepared to help Steve study as much as his grind needed but the constant missions and events that demanded Steve’s time had put Steve’s dream on hold again. 

Steve excited rambling peters off and laces an anxious look on his face which draws Bucky back into the present.

“Sorry, I'm boring you,” Steve said face red. Bucky hates that Steve thinks he could ever bore him. Bucky would gladly watch grass grow if he could do it with Steve. 

“Not at all, why would you think that?” Bucky asked.

“You are just staring at me,” Steve said shifting a little uncomfortably.

“Sorry for staring, I just mistook you as one of pieces of art,” Bucky said cheesy grin on his face. Steve tree his head back with the force of his laugh causing a few other museum goers to give them dirty looks. 

“You always had a line for everything. Apparently Hydra couldn't take that away,” Steve said a fond look on his face. 

“Why’d you think they had me wear the muzzle?” Bucky said hoping his smile didn't fall fla, but Steve’s smile fell enough for the both of them. There was an awkward silence between them that Bucky didn’t know how to fix. When he had first started recovery this kind of thing happened all the time but has Bucky become more comfortable in his own skin the distant between him and Steve had also lessened. 

“Are you a piece of art but I'd really like to nail you to the wall?” Bucky said because awkward situations had never been his forte. It seemed to work because Steve snorts loudly getting more dirty looks. The tension in his shoulders relaxed a little bit as well.

“Bucky, I love you but your lines were terrible in the 40s and they're terrible now,” Steve before his eyes blew up to cartoony large portions. Bucky was sure his didn’t look much better. 

“You love me?” Bucky teased. He couldn’t help the sappy smile on his face. Steve looked like he was getting ready to bolt though, he looked so nervous. “That’s good, because I love you too,” Bucky assured taking a step forward to close the gap between them. 

Steve practically melted into him in relief. Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist taking some of his weight. It was an awkward position not helped by the fact that they were in a very public place and he was sure at least a couple people were filming this. 

Bucky let himself have the moment though. He spent most of his time trying not to relive horrific  memories that made him question reality. The rest of his time was spent following Steve into fights. That one was a little more familiar, but left him with a bone chilling fear for both his and Steve’s lives. So right now he was going to savor this admission of love. 

“What do you mean my lines were terrible? I seem to remember me being the skirt chaser out of the two of us,” Bucky said a little indignantly when he was done savoring the moment. Steve gave him a look that said he was humoring Bucky. 

“You're lucky you're pretty,” Steve said before kissing Bucky. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this made you smile because I had fun writing it :)  
> I'm not quite sure if I like my characterization of Steve and Bucky so let me know what you think!


End file.
